The Grenada gazette., 1887-10-29
EDS. GAzErTE:.-

q After examining III a measure ii
# rules and questions to which teachel
: applying for first grade certificates al
e subjected, | request a place in I'll
z columns OF your paper for the view
OF the writer touching the same, I
order that the teachers may be ~
corded some degree of Justice du
! them while their Intellectual citadel
are being shelied by conglomerat
, balls of erudite puzzles fired from
big mental gun at jackson, in wha
is known as the teachers eNantina
tion, Whoever the parsonage may b
that has formulated the rules an
questions, has certainly become oh
iivious ofthe fact that the great mas
of Intelligent educators of the Stat,
gare human beings and possess, il
common with him, as great a dislike
to the excessive exercise of preroga
tives as he does. Contrasting him
as he presents himself through hi,
rules and questions, with the devoted
strenuously for the mental and moral
culture Of our children, he appears
to have drawn around himself q pleni.
potential msntle and with these rules
and questions az u great intel!ectua
lever, with himself as both power and
fuIcrum ,hemanifests no lack ofpains.
not only in an effort to twist the in.
tellect into mental alteration, butalso
to press the body into physical tor
ture. The ten subjects arranged for
the examination Of the teachers A,are
f,r 1a, 70 In,- o,,I 81
p'eted on that day. The time allotted
for each subject aggregates eleven
hours and thirty five minutes. An
ingenious device to sustain the plea,
a plenty of time. IT is absolute die
tation and no consideration what
ever shown to the teachers. Who of
the teachers. | would ask. can, in
their exam nations, avail themselves
of eleven hours and thirty five min
utes in one day? 1t is impractiea sable,
therefore discourteous and unjust.
None,I dare say, have done it,and all
have been rushed through their work
with scarcely any satisfaction to
Every thing that would
afford any aid whatever must be re-
not allowing the teachers
even to avail themselves of any indi- |
vidual previous work, however meri
torious. A very attractive incentive |
to individual enterprise in the fields
Of science.
The teachers.are to be seated sepa-
rately and remain with closed lips,
under penalty of not only having
their common sense outraged and
lenied q certificate, but Of incurring
/ serious indirect imputation of dis
lonor. The answers to questions
lre all to be written with ink for the |,
purpose, | suppose, of not permitting
MY corrections; and only one sub Y
ect at the time is allowed the teach [
rs, thereby divesting him OF any L
privilege of thought; or more proha-i
by it is hint that the teacher shouldll
cave his faculties at home and comeI
o the examination a mental nonen- \
ity. Even the County Supernten-
Ients are so trameled as to be debar-
ed the gratifying privilege of being
accompanied by reason, that lovely
in the beautiful temple of
ommOn sense.
The only humane thing that is
iscoverable in the rules, is the sug-
estion that County Superintendents
lave page to carry the subjects to
he teachers. Yes a page, just think
f that, and nothing about style. 1t
an be accorded that the rules are
esign for a good purpose; yet they
re plan without Judgment. We all
'ant moral efficient teachers. These
ules however, show that the teachers
re prejudged, and by innuendo are
iahting in the very thing that COM
ieHd5 them to the public rs instruc-
ors, and that is good moral charac-
.f. The sum Of the matter touching
he rules is simply an outrage upon
very teacher of the free schools in
he state and trayesty upon their !
intelligence and integrity. ,
viii speak of the questions at some
iture time. X.